The invention relates to a tiltable crucible or converter with supporting trunnions fixed to the converter shell and a bearing structure surrounding at least half of the circumference of the converter shell, wherein the supporting trunnions are arranged in bearing bushings that are releasably connected to the bearing structure.
According to U.S. Pat. No. 3,652,071 it has been known to attach bearing bushings to a bearing structure by means of drawing hooks which are pivotable into and out of an engagement position. The drawing anchor connection between the converter and the bearing structure is made releasable and connectable, respectively, by hand. For releasing and making the connection, a number of service men are necessary in the immediate vicinity of the converter. For safety purposes, however, work at the converter or at its bearing structure ought to be prevented, if possible. Furthermore, the time necessary for releasing or actuating the drawing hooks as well as for tightening and loosening the turnbuckles securing these drawing hooks, constitutes a period of standstill of the converter. Summary of The Invention
The invention aims at preventing these disadvantages and has as its object to create a converter connection which can be actuated without manipulation in the converter vicinity and which can be completely secured in the engagement position.
This object is achieved by improving the construction described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,652,071 in that for actuating the drawing hooks in and out of the engagement position with a bearing bushing bolting piece, a pressure medium cylinder is provided. On the one hand the pressure medium cylinder is hinged to the bearing structure and, on the other hand, it is connected directly or hinged via a linkage to the drawing hooks. The drawing hooks, when in the engagement position, are maintained in a locked position by self-locking bracing means attached to the bearing structure. Because of the self-locking bracing means, it is possible to maintain the pressure medium cylinders, which pivot the drawing hooks into and out of engagement position, free from pressure during operation of the converter.
Suitably the bearing bushing bolting piece is pivotably arranged at the bearing structure and by means of a pressure medium cylinder it can be brought into and out of an engagement position with the bearing bushings.
Advantageously, the drawing hook is arranged to be pivoted around an axis located on the bearing structure between its hook end and its shaft end. The hook end can be brought into engagement with the bearing bushing bolting piece and the shaft end is hinged to one end of a push rod. The other end of the push rod is guided in a guide and is movable into a locked position along this guide by means of a pressure medium cylinder.
According to another embodiment of the invention drawing hooks are arranged on both sides of the supporting trunnions. The shaft ends of the two opposing drawing hooks are articulately connected with each other by two push rods and the push rods are movable with their common joint along a guide into a locked position by means of pressure medium cylinder means.
With this arrangement it has proved to be especially advantageous for the push rod to be supplied with springs that act in the direction of pressure and, when the drawing hooks are in the engagement position, for the push rod to be movable beyond its dead position into a locked position which automatically prevents the movement of the drawing hooks.
According to a further preferred embodiment, the hook end of a drawing hook is adjustable by means of a pressure medium cylinder toward a bracket (console) of the bearing housing bolting piece and the shaft end of the drawing hook is movable along a guide into the locked position by means of a self-locking mechanical drive, such as a turnbuckle or a knuckle lever. The advantage of this embodiment is that the drawing hooks are exposed to tensile stresses only and not to bending stresses.
In a modified embodiment of the invention, instead of the supporting trunnions and the bearing bushings, claw-like consoles, that are connected to the converter wall and have fitting surfaces, are provided as bearing elements of the converter, and the drawing hooks are brought into and out of engagement by them.